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As of Summer 2008 we have made 3 trip to Italy

3rd Trip: Venice - March 2008

2nd Trip: Genoa, Naples and Catania

1st Trip: Rome and Vatican City - Christmas 1999

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    To see our photos of Vatican City from the 1999 trip, click the link to the left. After all, although it's the smallest country in the world, it is a country of it's own.

Cheers,
Eddie and Sheena






 

Venice - March 15 - 18, 2008

The ...
         
    Eddie coming off a water bus   Eddie's kind of life   It's no-charge to drink on the canal walks. It costs extra for a table.  
         
  Not easy finding a venetian Post Office       Filling up wines by the bottle. Not bad and a great price  
  Anyone for a room?!     The ghetto district.   A dogs life in the venetian sun!   A family crest.
         
         
         
    One of the canal buses on the Grand Canal - note the kids.      
  A wine barge!   Night life in Venice.   Restaurants along the Grand Canal at night.   Canals at night.   Canals at night.

 

Our Mediterranean Cruise in 2000

 The cruise started in Genoa and made stops along the coast in Naples and Catania...

Cheers,
Eddie and Sheena

         
         
         
         
         
         
         

 

Rome - Christmas 1999

   We decided to visit Rome during Christmas 1999. After a quick road trip to Nuremberg to visit the Weinachtsmarkt, we boarded a plane for what we hoped would be sunny Mediterranean weather. Although the sun was shining, it was unusually cold but we were prepared. A storm had blown through Italy wrecking havoc on the landscape and decided to linger over Rome for a couple of days. Sheena had found us a great hotel only a few blocks from the Vatican. The service was friendly and the room was beautiful, however, they were not prepared for the cold weather that had hit the city. We kept asking if the heat had been turned on only to be told that it had, but it would take a while to get the rooms warm. Two days later, we finally felt the heat! After settling into our room, we mapped out our path through Rome. During the holiday season, most of the museums shorten their hours and reduce the number of days in which they are open. Knowing this and having taken some time to plan our path, we decided to start seeing the sights the same day. Rome is an incredible city and can actually be called a living museum!

   The Vatican – Day 1 – After checking into the hotel and relaxing for a while, we decided to tour St. Peters Square and the Cathedral.  It was fairly empty of tourist and was being set up for the Christmas Day celebration with the Pope. While at the Cathedral, we toured the Catacombs and saw the tomb of the Apostle Peter. We were able to take some spectacular photos of the Pope's chair with the sun streaming into the windows above it. We were amazed at the streams of light reflecting in the area around the chair. After seeing the main area, we found the steps to access the top of the dome--most cathedrals in Europe have steps leading up and out of the dome. The stairs were an adventure of there own and the view of Rome from the top was incredible.

   That evening we took a night tour of the fountains of Rome.

Day 3 - Tour the Colleseum, the Forum, and Palatine. Not quite organized but we're working on it.
  Well, here we are. At the elevator!  Only one at a time or get friendly!   In the room checking the guide book.
  Trevi fountain.  Don't forget to throw the coin in to guarantee your return.   Rome at night.  A view of the Monument to Victor Emmanuel.   Saint Peter's Basilica at night preparing for Christmas day.
  The Spanish steps leading up to the church of Trinita dei Monti.   The twin churches of Santa Maria di Montesanto (left) and Santa Maria dei Miracoli (right) in the Piazza del Popolo.   Another church near on the banks of the Tiber.   A church near Castel Sant'Angelo on the banks of the Tiber.   The Cortile Ottagonal in the Vatican.
  Ruins in the Forum.   Triumphal arch of the Emperor Septimius Severus in the Forum.   The inside of the Colosseum.  Note the snow!     Sheena in the Colosseum.
  A forest of TV antennae.   The view from the steps of the church of Trinita dei Monti.   The Spanish steps leading up to the church of Trinita dei Monti.   Sheena inside Castel Sant'Angelo.   The views from Castel Sant'Angelo.
  The Vatican roof tops.   The Vatican from Castel Sant'Angelo.   The Vatican from Castel Sant'Angelo.   Sheena on the walls of Castel Sant'Angelo.   Close up of the under ground room of the Colosseum.
  Eddie in the Colosseum.   Close up of the Triumphal arch in the Forum.   The column of Trajan near the market place near the Forum.   Close up of the column of Trajan.  
  The column of Marcus Aurelius with the Monument to Victor Emmanuel in the back ground.   Looking down the Via Sacra in the Forum.   Outside the Trojan markets.   The temple of Antoninus and Faustina in the Forum.   The temple of Castor and Pollux (left) and the temple of Vesta (right) in the Forum.
    Castel Sant'Angelo from the bridge over the Tiber.   Buildings near Castel Sant'Angelo on the banks of the Tiber.    
  Sheena and Eddie at the Pope's Christmas blessing.   Eddie at the Pope's Christmas blessing.   The nativity seen set up in Piazza San Pietro.   The nativity seen set up in Piazza San Pietro.   The Pope giving his blessing.
  The Pope giving his blessing.   Eddie on the street in North Rome on Christmas.   Christmas on the streets in North Rome.    
         

 

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